Ara-290

ARA-290 (also known as cibinetide) is a synthetic 11-amino-acid peptide designed by Araim Pharmaceuticals. It is derived from the three-dimensional structure of erythropoietin (EPO) and engineered to selectively bind and activate the innate repair receptor (IRR) — a heterodimer of the EPO receptor and the beta-common receptor (CD131) — without triggering the classical homodimeric EPO receptor responsible for erythropoiesis (red blood cell production). This separation of tissue-protective from erythropoietic activity is the central pharmacological rationale for ARA-290. The IRR was characterised by Brines and colleagues in a foundational 2004 paper as the mediator of EPO's cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-regenerative effects. ARA-290 was subsequently developed to harness these tissue-repair properties without the thromboembolic and haematological risks of exogenous EPO. Human clinical evidence for ARA-290 is more advanced than for most research peptides: it has been evaluated in multiple Phase 2 randomised controlled trials, primarily for sarcoidosis-associated small fiber neuropathy (SFN) and for neuropathic symptoms in type 2 diabetes. Results have been encouraging — improved neuropathic pain scores, increased corneal nerve fiber density, and metabolic benefits — but no Phase 3 programme has been completed and the compound is not approved by any regulatory authority as of 2026. All use outside clinical trials is for research purposes only.